Georgian Civil War

The Georgian Civil War (22 December 1991-31 December 1993) was a three-way civil war fought between the Georgian government of Eduard Shevardnadze, Zviad Gamsakhurdia's government-in-exile, and the Russia-backed breakaway states of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The war began when the unpopular dictator Gamsakhurdia was overthrown by Shervardnadze and his allies, creating an atmosphere of anarchy in the country. This was exploited by independence activists in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, who wished to remain a part of Russia after the Georgian SSR declared its independence from the Soviet Union. The Russians supported Shevardnadze against Gamsakhurdia's government-in-exile, which had its strongholds on the west coast of Georgia, but President Boris Yeltsin also sent troops to assist the South Ossetians and Abkhazians against the Georgians. The Russians assisted the Abkhazians and South Ossetians in gaining control of their home regions, allowing for them to maintain their de facto independence. In 1993, the civil war ended when Gamsakhurdia, having failed to regain power in a last-ditch coup, committed suicide. Georgia would continue to have a conflict with Russia over the breakaway regions into the 21st century, and it failed to exercise its control over the regions due to Russian intervention.